Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

I have a confession to make, I am rubbish at applying makeup even though I have tons of it.  WTF.  I nearly always go for a natural look when I wear makeup but that is because if I did anything more obvious I would probably end up looking like a clown.  That does not stop me buying more make up as it is just an addiction, I love all the pretty packaging and lovely colours. Anyway recently I have been attending beauty events in the likes of Debenhams, Harvey Nichols etc some of which are to watch demos of make up being applied such as a beauty event at Debenhams where brands such as  Urban Decay did a make over and more recently at a Harvey Nichols Fenty Beauty  masterclass event where one of the Fenty Beauty UK Ambassadors did a demo which showcased Fenty Beauty products and showed how easy they were to apply.  Yes it is a way to encourage sales and yes I did buy some items, but what I took from each event is that you don't have to go overboard with y...

Guys, I just wanted to let you know that TK Maxx are selling some Real Techniques brushes at bargain prices. Here's what I picked up: PowderBleu Collection Soft Complexion Brush & Soft Finishing Brush - £5.99. I was so pleased to get my hands on these as I really wanted to try out some brushes from this collection. I think these brushes originally retailed at over £24.99. I also picked up the Bold Metals Collection Tapered Shadow brush for £4.99 and the MultiTech Collection Point XL brush for full face application and blending for £5.99 both originally retailed at £14.99 . Finally, I also bought the Brush Crush Diamond Sponge for £3.99 (originally retailed at £12.99). Really happy with my purchases and these additions to my brush and sponge collection. It's always worth popping into TK Maxx to see what bargains they have in store (I managed to pick up some Chanel nail polishes for £7.99 not long ago (check out my post here ). If you can't find the brush...

I am a  big fan of Clinique's Moisture Surge range and have recently picked up the Moisture Surge Sheertint Hydrator SPF 25 .  I tried the product out at the Clinique counter in Debenhams to find out what shade  suited me and the lady at the counter advised me that Universal Light was the best fit.  There are only 5 shades in the range Universal Shade 1 - Very Light, Shade 2 - Light, Shade 3 - Light Medium, Shade 4 - Medium, & Shade 5 - Medium Deep.  The product uses Mimetic-Shade Technology which means each shade blends with a range of skin tones. The Clinique Moisture Surge Sheertint Hydrator can be applied directly to skin or over your moisturiser and gives 12 hours of  hydration, complexion perfection and protection all in one (or at least that's what it says on the Clinique website).  To be honest I really like this product.  I don't often wear full on foundation (although I have recently bought a couple to try out and will let ...

I am a big fan of the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum cream as it smells divine and leaves my skin feeling silky soft and hydrated, but it's not cheap at £44 for 220ml (it is also available in a travel size pot of 75ml which costs £18), so when I saw that Aldi was selling a dupe called Lacura Booty Balm Body Cream for £6.99 I had to give it a go. I know that some people don't like the idea of brands making cheaper dupes of other companies most popular products, but honestly I am ok with it. First of all, because I usually buy the high end version first and then test out the cheaper version at a later date and also because sometimes you just can't afford the expense and still feel like treating yourself. For instance the Jo Malone fragrance dupes from Primark are a nice cheap alternative. I have a fair few Jo Malone perfumes which cost almost £50 a pop, but they are a special treat. On the other hand when I am browsing around Primark, it's so easy to grab a few of th...

I was lucky enough to win this lovely Walden A Little Star-Dust natural perfume a while back on a blog giveaway run by the lovely Sandra over at Beauty Balm (definitely check this blog out if you love natural products).  A Little Star-Dust is a wonderful blend of Ylang Ylang, Iris and Jasmine with a touch of Amyris and Tonka Bean. The result on my skin is a sweet, creamy smoky scent that is perfect for summer evenings.  It lasts a good couple of hours on my skin, which is about normal for me. Walden Natural Perfume (named for Henry David Thoreau's book 'Walden') make their fragrances by hand in small batches using 100% natural ingredients. The  15ml  eau de parfum costs £18 and the  50ml costs £40. If you sign up to the Walden Perfumes newsletter you can get 30% off your first order.  You can also buy Walden Perfume from Love Lula . This is my first experience with a natural perfume and it won't be my last.         ...

I love sales as I can't resist a good bargain.  Recently I popped into Victoria's Secret to have a browse (that's what I always tell myself) and picked up some products from their Tease Dreamer fragrance range.   Now let me start by saying I'm not a big fan of the name, Dreamer by itself would have been fine.  The scent itself is lovely it just reminds me of holidays.  It's got that perfect balance of Coconut, Ocean and Sun.  Just putting it on makes me feel like I'm on my hols.  When I sprayed it to try it out I just knew I had to buy it and when I found out it was on sale I decided to buy the EDP 100ml for £20 from £59, Fragrance Mist 250ml for £7 from £22 and the rollerball 7ml for £7.50 (might have been £7) from £15.  I just couldn't resist. I think the sale is still on so if you are looking for a great summer scent check this one out it's fab. Leigh ...

I used to buy lots of beauty boxes, but after realising that I had a large stash of products building up I decided to give up on monthly beauty boxes and only buy boxes that contained products that I really wanted to try out. One such box that caught my eye recently was the  QVC Tili Heatwave Beauty Box . It cost £20 with free postage and packing and contains products valued at over £100. The box contains some great brands and as an added bonus this is a subscription free box, so you can just buy them whenever you fancy. I think a new box comes out every 2 months. I received the following products in the Heatwave Beauty Box: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Highlighter in the shade Sparkler - 5.6g (full size) worth £25. This is a beautiful rose gold highlighter that I will more than likely use as an eyeshadow. tweak'd by nature Restore Hydrating Treatment Balm - 100ml (full size) worth £18. This is a brand that I have never heard of, but a product that I can't wait to ...

I think I have found the cutest beauty product of this summer.  I was browsing in Harvey Nichols this week and I couldn't help but find myself in the MAC section and came across the limited edition range of their great Prep + Prime Fix+ Setting Spray in 5 different Summer scents including a Watermelon version. Now anyone that knows me knows my favourite scent is Watermelon Lemonade see my post here , so there was no way I was leaving the Watermelon version behind, I also picked up the pineapple version as well as it's such a lovely scent.   I think they have only recently come out with this range and as soon as I passed the stand in Harvey Nichols I zeroed in on this range.   The scents are so fruity and smell so lovely and fresh.  There all come in fantastic packaging as well and as they are minis they are great for on the go.   I use these not only to set my makeup but also as a face mist to freshen up and cool down throughout the day and night. There...

If you are looking for a reasonably priced face primer suitable for dry skin then look no further than the e.l.f. Hydrating Face Primer.  This primer is infused with grape, vitamins A, C & E which helps boost the complexion and hydrate your skin. This is a silicone based primer (it contains dimethicone), so there is a lot of slip to it, which is perfect for me. When I wear foundation without this primer, every dry area on my face is highlighted as the foundation just sticks to those places and I find this primer helps the foundation to glide over my skin and sits nicely without sinking into my pores. You can purchase this online here . The small size is £7.50 and the large is £12.50 (it does not state the size of the products on the website or bottle). You can also buy e.l.f. products instore or online at Superdrug . At the moment there are gift with purchase offers on both sites which I find happens pretty regularly with e.l.f. e.l.f. is an affordable skincare and m...

I thought I would post about some of my favourite things that I'm using at the moment.  I have been a really big fan of Bath & Body Works for quite a number of years since I started visiting America in my twenties.  One of the first shops (after Sephora of course) that I got addicted to was Bath & Body Works.   I love the range of products that they have and the number of different fragrances.  I always seem to have stuck to one main fragrance over the years and initially that was Japanese Cherry Blossom which I loved but I'm a fickle person when it comes to beauty and when I first caught a whiff of Watermelon Lemonade that was it, I was hooked.  It's my absolute favourite scent from B&BW and I can't get enough of the range.  It is a summer fragrance so the whole range is in stock online at the moment here . It's such a lovely light fruity fragrance that smells fabulous, it's the perfect Summer Scent.   There are a great range of pr...